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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Know her from: This globally conscious, Buddhist, saxophone-playing feminist is best known for her television appearances on The Simpsons, a long-running (alternate) reality tv show. She may look young, but Lisa is an old pro in the entertainment business. She has been on television since 1987, when she first appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show. Lisa has also appeared in a movie about the life and times of her family called The Simpsons Movie.

Why she's vegetarian: Back when Lisa was 8, she went with her family to a petting zoo, in which she was able to interact with a number of adorable lambs. When the family returned home later that night, Lisa's mother Marge served lamb chops for dinner. Lisa looked at the meat on her plate, but could not eat it. She had made the connection that the meat came from an animal just like the little lambs she had met earlier that day. In fact, she decided she could no longer eat any animal. But Lisa did not get a lot of support for her vegetarianism from her family initially. She remembers her father telling her that "You don't win friends with salad," as he prepared to throw a BB(B)Q in the family backyard later that week. But Lisa decided to prepare some gazpacho for the BBQ just the same, so that there would be a vegetarian alternative at the party. Not only did no one eat the gazpacho, but all of the attendees of the party basically laughed in her face. However, Lisa's principles were so strong, and her annoyance so great, that she grabbed the roast pig from the BBQ, and took off with it on the family riding mower. Long story short, the pig ended up flying through the airspace of Lisa's hometown of Springfield. After a fight with her father later the next day, Lisa ran away from home.

Luckily, Lisa ran away to the right place, and was served a tofu dog at the local Kwik-E-Mart by the vegan attendant of the shop, Apu. Apu also introduced Lisa to Paul and Linda McCartney, who were gardening at that time at the end of a secret passageway behind the mart's non-alcoholic beer section. Paul, Linda, and Apu convinced Lisa that her feelings about animal rights were justified, but that her methods of influencing others need not be so extreme. Lisa left the store hoping to apologize to her family, and she ran into her father, who was out looking for her. The two apologized to each other, and Lisa's dad gave her a "veggie-back" ride (instead of a piggy-back ride) home.

Why she's awesome: Lisa has long been known to stand up for her political and social beliefs, both in and out of school. She is dedicated to her family, and is incredibly smart and driven. She also plays a mean jazz saxophone. I might also point out that, since she was 8 back in 1987, that makes Lisa 33 years old, and she still looks 8! The wonders of a vegetarian diet will never cease...

Lisa has been credited by PETA as being one of the earliest and most prominent vegetarians on television. Her switch to vegetarianism even resulted in a Genesis Award. Lisa's appearances on television have created innumerable memorable moments in the public consciousness, and her legacy will, I am sure, endure for a very long time.

So Lisa, since I'm not sure how easy it is for you to get out of Springfield without an adult (since you don't have a driver's license yet), I'm going to make you the Springfield correspondent for the Hot Vegan Army. My boyfriend reminded me that pointing you out as "hot" while you are in school might be a tad inappropriate, but I reminded him that you are really 33 years old, and that you've been on television basically 25 years now! So, welcome to the Hot Vegan Army Lisa.

Oh, and by the way, April Fools everyone! I know it's not March anymore, but I guess I was a little reluctant to stop the March of the Hot Vegan Army, since I've been enjoying it so much...

But, don't worry, I'll still be posting lots of vegetarian/vegan recipes and photos on this blog coming up. And, if you liked the Hot Vegan Army posts this month, please let me know. Just comment on any of your favorite posts, and I'll do my best to respond ASAP. I'd love to hear from you!

And, though March 2012 is over, the hot vegans will continue to move forward with their cause. If you are interested in becoming a Hot Vegan or Vegetarian, I'd suggest you start by checking out PETA's website. You can even order a FREE vegetarian starter kit here. If you would like to start off slowly and try one day of vegetarian meals per week, you can get free Meatless Monday recipes from the Humane Society here.

I will definitely be posting lots of recipes and recommendations from my favorite vegan and vegetarian recipe books on the blog, and have done so in the past, so please feel free to check my older posts, and look for my newer ones coming soon. Also the web has a bounty of free vegan and vegetarian recipes for any taste, and I urge you to do some productive Googling if you are thinking about incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet.

So thank you to all of you for reading, and I hope that the rest of the April Fools pranks pulled on you today will be just as benign as this one. Happy April Fools' Day all!